Device for longitudinally reshaping corrugated wire springs



2,771,912 DEVICE FOR LONGITUDINALLY RESHAPING CORRUGATED WIRE SPRINGSFiled Sept. 18, 1951 1956 s. G. BLUMENSAADT 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.SVEND G BLUHEN RHDT Nov. 27, 1956 BLUMENSAADT 2,771,912

DEVICE FOR LONGITUDINALLY RESHAPING CORRUGATED WIRE SPRINGS Filed Sept18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2? a9 5 a 0 0 l 40 IN V EN TOR. svs vuE'BLUNENSHRDT United States Patent DEVICE FOR LONGITUDINALLY RESHAPINGCORRUGATED WIRE SPRINGS Svend G. Blumensaadt, Beachwood Village, Ohio,assignor to The Universal Wire Spring Company, Bedford, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio 1 Application September 18, 1951, Serial No. 247,109

1 Claim. (Cl.140-89) This invention relates to a device usable in themanucfacture of wire springs shaped of zigzag bent or s-inuouslycorrugated wire bent to zigzag shape in wire bending or corrugatingmachines designed to give the corrugated wire the desired number ofcorrugations per foot. Sinuously corrugated Wire springs shaped fromcorrugated wire of the type referred to above develop in their restingsurfaces under load either too stitf or too yielding areas caused byexcessive or insufficient load counteracting torsional stresses in theloop connecting cross wires of the springs, a condition which canreadily be avoided by spacing in these area the loop-connecting crosswires diiferently from the general equal spacing of such cross wires inthe resting surfaces for either locally increasing or decreasing theload counteracting torsional stresses in loop connecting cross wires ofthese areas.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a practical,eflicient device for changing in predetermined areas of corrugated wiresprings the spacing of their loopconnecting cross wi-res for the purposeof varying the load counteracting torsional stresses in theloop-connecting cross wires of said areas.

Such a general object of the invention is attained by subjecting wirespring loops in certain predetermined areas of corrugated Wire springs,by means of correlated shifting elements, to stresses adapted to changesuch loops and the spacing of the cross member connecting the loops toprovide corrugated wire springs with areas difierentiating in theirnumber of corrugations per foot.

Another object of the invention, therefore, is the provision of a deviceof the type referred to above constructed to include correlated shiftingelements adapted to engage in a predetermined area of a corrugated wirespring loops thereof, the elements arranged to be shifted with respectto each other for reshaping the said loops and the spacing of the crossmembers connecting these loops.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thetype described above in which the correlated shifting elements aremounted on and coupled with each other by a lazy tongs structure havingits direction of movement controlled by guide means.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a device ofthe type described above in which the correlated shifting elements aremounted on a lazy tongs structure having its central area rigidlysupported and its opposite ends actuated upon 'by power-operatedshifting means to symmetrically shift the shifting elements supported bythe lazy tongs structure.

Still further objects and novel features of construction, combinationand relation of parts by which the objects in view have been attained,will appear and are set forth in detail in the course of the followingspecification.

The drawings accompanying and 'forming part of the specificationillustrate certain practical embodiments of the invention, but it willbe apparent as the specification proceeds that the structure may bemodified and changed ice in various ways without departure from the truespirit and broad scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

'Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordance withthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view through theapparatus shown in Fig. l, the section being taken on line 2--2 of Fig.1;

Fig; 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line -4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is -a diagrammatic view of the hydraulic system actuating theapparatus; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a sinuously corrugated wire springembodying areas differentiating in the spacing of their loop-connectingcross members.

Referring now more particularly to the exemplified form'of the inventionshown in the drawings, reference numeral '2 denotes a wire springsqueezing fixture embodying an elongated base plate 3 mounted on ribs 4,which base plate ha secured to its opposite ends symmetricallyconstructed cylinder hanger members 5, 5', each of which embodies aperforated vertical plate 6, 6', respectively, secured by screws 7 tothe respective end face of base plate '3 and a horizontal plate 8', 8,secured to plate -6, 6', respectively, adjacent to its top edge.

Horizontal plates '8, 8 are connected to the top edges of verticallyarranged, perforated stops 9, 9', respectively, which are seated on andattached to base plate 3. These stop plates formthe stops for alignedleft and right handed ways '10, -10"which 'slidably support push blocks11, 11' arranged to actuate a lazy tongs squeezing arrangement '12arranged between said blocks as will be later described.

The ways 10, 10 are of similar construction and include elongated rearway members 14, 14' and shorter front way member 15, '15 arranged inparallel relation to members 14, '15. Each rear way member is seated onand secured to base plate =3 and abuts with its one end stop plates 9,9, respectively, and with its other end a guiding saddle member 16secured by screws 16 to base plate '3 crosswise thereof. The shorterfront way members are also seated on and secured to base plate 3, abutwith their one ends stop plate 9, '9, respectively, and have their otheropposed ends axially spaced from each other. Rear way members 14, 14'are slotted at their inner ends and mount in their slotted portionsguide blocks '17, 17 respectively, which include elongated slots 18, 1 8for a purpose later to be described.

Lazy tongs squeezing arrangement 12 embodies a system of two alignedpairs 20, 2 1 of crossed bars 22, '2-2' and 23, 23, respectively, andtwo end bars 24, 24', each latter of which is arranged adjacent to oneof said aligned pairs of crossed bars. The pairs of crossed bars 20, 21have the central areas of their bars 22, 22' and 23, 23', respectively,pivotally connected with each other by headed pins 25, 25 which extendabove the bars to engage loops and cross wires of sinuously corrugatedwire springs placed on the squeezing arrangement. The opposed inner endsof bars 22 and 23 and bars 22' and 23 are pivoted to each other byheaded pins 26, 26' which also extend above the bars. The outer end ofbars 22 and 23 are pivoted to end bars 24, 24 by headed pins 27, 27' andthese end bars are coupled with the outer ends of bars 22, 23 by shortlink bars 28, -28 pivoted to bars 22, 23 by headed pins 29, 29' and tothe central areas of bars 24, 24' by headed pins 30, 30.

As lazy tongs squeezing arrangement 12 is pivotally secured tostationary saddle member 16 by pin 26, such squeezing arrangement issubdivided in two symmetrically arranged squeezing portions 31, 31'which when actuated upon will be shifted jointly but in oppositedirections with respect. to each other. Squeezing portions 31, 31' arejointly guided lay the pins 26 and 29, 29' which extend throughelongated slot 32 in saddle member -14 and elongated slots 18, 18' inguide blocks 17, 17, slot 32 being rectangularly related to the axiallyaligned slots 18, 18'.

Actua-ting of the squeezing portions 31, 31' of the thus constructedlazy tongs arrangement is effected in one direction by a coil spring 33connecting the lower ends of pin 30 with pin 34 mounted in base plate 3and, in opposite direction 'by the push block's ll, 11 guided in ways10, 10 as previously described. Push blocks are coupled bylongitudinally adjustable piston rod 35, G with hydr-aulic cylinders 36supported by the cylinder hanger members 5, 5. These piston rods includethreaded portions 37 rota-tably mounting adjusting nuts 38 and extendthrough circular openings 39 in stop plate 9, 9', respectively, whichopenings are smaller in diameter than nuts 38 to positively limitshifting movements of push blocks 11, 11', respectively.

In operation the device is first adjusted to elfect in predeterminedareas of a sinuously corrugated wire "spring 40 the desired changes inthe spacing of loop-connecting cross wires 41 by adjusting nuts 38 onpiston rod 35, 35' and then spring 40 is placed on the device to alignthe respective loops of the predetermined area of the wire spring withthe respective pins of the lazy tongs squeezing arrangement.

Thereafter hydraulic cylinders 36 are actuated by valve arrangement 42to shift push blocks 11, 11' and actuate squeezing portion 31, 31 toeffect reshaping of the loops of the wire springs for proper spacing ofcross wires 41. Release of the valve arrangement inactivates thehydraulic cylinders 36 and permits removal of the wire spring from thedevice and thereafter lay coil spring 33 return of the squeezingportions 31, 31 to their initial position.

Having thu described my invent-ion, what I claim is:

In a device for changing the longitudinal spacing of successivelyconnected left and right handed loops of sinuously corrugated wires, aframe, a lazy tongs lever arrangement including a plurality of elongatedpins pivotally coupling the cross bars of each pair of bars to eachother and pivotally coupling at one side edge of said arrangement thecross bars of adjoining pairs of ham to each other, one of said pins,the pin which couples two of the symmetrically opposed bars of the twoadjacent pairs or" the cross bars in 'the center portion of the lazytongs lever arrangement, Jbeing non-'shiftably supported in said frame,a pin coupling the other two of the symmetrically opposed bars of saidtwo adjacent pairs of cross bars in the center portion of the leverarrangement, said last pin slidably engaged with said frame to effect byactuation of the lazy tongs lever arrangement straight movements of thepins at said one side edge and arcuate movements of the pins pivotallyconnecting the, cross bars of each of said pairs of cross bars with eachother, .wire engaging head portions on said pins adapted to engageloop-s and loop connecting wire portions of sinuously corrugated wiresplaced on the device, and power operated push block means. engaged withthe free ends of the lazy tongs lever arrangement for actuating same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS533,178 Mandel et al. Jan. 29, 1895 804,029 Nilson et al. Nov. 7, 19051,327,467 Griner Jan. 6, 1920 2,086,736 Palmer July 13, 1937 2,378,058Blumsensaadt June 12, 1945 2,454,290 Payne Nov. 23, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS463,670 France Dec. 23, 1913 867,035 France Sept. 23, 1941

